Fabulous fireworks
David Kamerman took this shot of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial on Boston Common during the middle of the First Night fireworks display on New Year's Eve in 2006.
By David Kamerman
Globe Staff Photographer
How do you get great shots of fireworks? If you have ever tried to photograph fireworks you already know why people ask this question — because it is difficult and unpredictable at best. It is a trial-and-error process in which the vast majority of images you shoot will not turn out well. How do I know this? Because I average only about a 10 to 15% ratio of usable fireworks images, even when trying to make that one great shot for the front page of The Boston Globe.
To start: You should have your camera manual handy as each camera manufacturer might use different terms. You will not be able to take one image and get a great photo; plan on shooting 30-50 images. Here are more tips to help you capture those July 4th fireworks shots.
Set-up
- The most important tip when photographing fireworks is to use a tripod. You want to steady the camera. A tripod is really the best bet, although I have also used a coat or a sweatshirt wedged under the lens to steady the camera in a pinch.
- If your camera has a cable release, use it. This allows you to shoot hands-free photos and prevents you from shaking the camera. If your camera doesn't have this option, it's not the end of the world. Just remember to press the shutter release button is a very gentle manner and try to avoid shaking the camera.
- Don't use a flash. It won't have an effect on the fireworks, so just turn it off. Check your owner's manual to find out how to disable the flash.
- Use a low ISO speed, in the range of 100-400 ISO. A general rule of thumb: As your ISO increases so does the "graininess" in the black areas of your picture.
- If you can set your camera to show you images immediately after you take them, do it. This will allow you to get instant feedback. I set my camera, a Canon EOS-1Dmk2, to an automatic review time of four seconds.
- Set your camera to manual mode if you can. If you can't set your camera to manual mode, try aperture priority.
- I start out at ISO 100, with a shutter speed at 4 seconds and the aperture set at f.8. When I begin shooting the fireworks, I keep an eye on my screen, which allows me to see if my exposure is generally correct. If it is too bright, I take my aperture down to f.11 or f.16; if the exposure is too dark, I open up the aperture to f.6 or f.4. If you can't achieve these settings through your camera's manual mode, experiment with your camera's exposure compensation.
- I tend to only shoot the colored fireworks, as the bright white bursts tend to overexpose too quickly.
- Experiment and have fun!
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Great tips! This has always been a frustrating thing for me. Now I know why. Great picture by the way. I do have a question. How much does focal length play a part? Is it better to shoot with, say, a 28-105 or an 80-200?
I agree with most of your comments but some are possibly too restrictive. Sometimes an moderately open lens with a 4 sec exposure as recommended above is on the money, but sometimes a much shorter or much longer exposure is appropriate. The bit about the coat under the lens to position it is on the money. Folding a tuxedo under the lens is how i took the following shots at Cannes:
http://www.iisc.com/Cannes/images/cannes_064.jpg
http://www.iisc.com/Cannes/images/cannes_065.jpg
The next shows that even white fireworks can make a good shot.
http://www.iisc.com/Cannes/images/cannes_066.jpg
One tip that could have been mentioned was that using the self timer can reduce vibrations when a remote or cable release is not available. Another is that the camera can be held steady by putting weight on it before pushing the shutter.
Another big tip is to turn off the auto-focus. The writer mentions manual mode which is 100% correct and I am sure he also sets his focus manually but on his camera and mine "manual mode" does not effect autofocus. That is a separate switch on the lens.
The writer and I both have Canon 1D Mark II cameras, but my shots above were with the earlier Canon SLR based DCS-520.
Excellent tips. The big thing about shooting fireworks is thinking about time. A 1 or 4 second exposure is nice and will get you an excellent image, but, if you want to capture the full geometry of a launch and explosion, a longer shutter speed is better. I prefer 6-10 seconds, ISO 400, f/14-16
I hit the shutter release at the moment of launch, and the shutter will close shortly after the explosion begins to dissipate.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/2646446441_6573066051_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3123/2646446505_8450b7108d_b.jpg
I think that the most important things for fireworks photography is to get the exposure correct and the make sure that the camera is focused on infinity. The authors exposure recommendation of f/8 at ISO 100 (or equivalent) is right on. The shutter speed affects background exposure and the amount of action recorded, but doesn't affect the fireworks exposure. Using a flash is both useless and annoying to your neighbors.
I shot these photographs using a monopod, hand pressing the shutter. I used 1 and 1/2 second exposures (timed by the camera, to avoid having to manipulate the shutter release twice). I think I could have gotten pleasant images hand held, though there would have been more blur in the background. Some of my shots camera movement, but the fireworks images are still pleasant. For exposures longer than 1 second, I would go for something steadier than a monopod--preferably a tripod.
http://picasaweb.google.com/wlmsears/742009BostonFireworks?authkey=Gv1sRgCPue38uM6JThwwE#5355053606459301394
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